Draft and buffing mechanism for mine cars



July 11, 1933. R. E. DENDLER 1,917,876 DRAFT AND BUFFING MECHANISM FO-R MINE CARS Filed Maron 15, 19:52 2 sheets-sheet 1 July 11, 1933. R. E. DENDLER DRAFT AND BUFFING MECHANISM FOR MINE CARS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 15, 1932 f v n.. o fpm t Y Patented July 11, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I RALPH :EL` DENDLER, OF BERWICK, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIG'NOR TO AMERICAN Cm AND FOUNDBY COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION F NEW JERSEY DRAFTAND BUFFING HECHANISM FOR MINE CARS Application led March 15, 1932. Serial No. 598,862.

This invention relates to improvements in mine car construction and with regard to certain more specific features thereof to improvements in the buiiing and draftmechanism therefor.

As the design of mine cars has progressed.

to bodies of larger ,capacity and greater Weight it has been found desirable to incorporate means for cushioning the bumping impact and shocks and strains of d raft. As against the desirability of includlng these characteristics in mine car construction the expense of the equipment and the ex nse of reconstruction of car bodies and trans ormation of shop methods has been an important deterring factor.

The present invention has for one of lts principal objects to provide a combined bufng and cushion draft mechanism for mine cars which is inexpensivev in construction, extremely durable and capable of substltution for parts of cars already in service and incorporation with cars of present design without extensive modification of the body construction or design.

Another object of the invention is toprovide a simple and compact mechanism which fulfills all the requirements of buing and draft cushioning for mine cars.

The invention accordingly consists in the various features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of partswhich will be exemplified by the construction hereinafter set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the drawings wherein are shown two of various poss'ible embodiments of the inven- -tion .ly along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a plan of a modified form of construction;

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 4; and l Fi 6- is a view in-cross section taken on the line 6 6 of Fig. 4.

Referring now more particularly. to the drawings and to Figs. l to 3, inclusive, thereof, there is indicated at 10 a transverse member which is a part of the car body or conceivably a part of a car truck. Preferably it is -a metal section having an upstanding web 11 and one or more horizontal flanges 12. As specifically shown it is a steel channel member employedlas an end sill of the car. According to the ordinary practice this sill has been faced with rigid bumper devices or metal'cased bumpers with wood fillers affording only slight resilient action. The parts herein shownv are interchangeable with such existing devices.

spring confiningvmember 13 in the embodiment now being described comprises a `hollow casting having spaced upstanding walls or parts 14 and horizontal portions 15. This member is secured to a front face of the end sill as by rivets 16 and extends forwardly thereof. 4 v

A buffer and coupler member 17 is referably a casting having a front builerfzice 18, an integral draw-head or coupler element 19 and one or morerearwardly projecting stems 20. The latter pass through the uprights 14 of the spring confining member and also pass through the end sill 10. The parts 13 and 17 are telescopically fitted, and referably the art 13. serves as a support and) guide for the uier casting 17. A nut 21 on the end of each extension 2O holds the parts 13 and 17 against disassembly under draft action. have bearing in front and rear follower sleeves 22 and 23 respectively, each provided with outwardly extending flan-ges 24. As shown clearly in Fig. 3 the bearing member or sleeve 22 extends through the front wall 14 of the spring confining memberr13 while the bearing` member or sleeve 23 extends throu h the rear wall 14 of the member 13 and a o 4through the end sill 11. A plate 25 between the rearward ,follower sleeves 23 and the nuts 21 completes the follower and or usual exist-ing and pinned in position` The stems or extensions limiting-stop assembly on the stems 20. Surrounding each stem, in the embodiment being presently described, is a coil spring 26 located by the stems and confined within the member 13. y

The integral coupler part 19 is formed with an opening 30 for the reception of the usual coupling pin.

In the operation of the device the front buiiing face 18 contacts with a rear face of an adjacent car and the combined buffer and coupler recedes toward the end sill 10 telescoping with the spring confining member 13 over and under horizontal webs 15. This telescopic movement is facilitated by the engagement of the follower sleeves interiorlyv with the pins 20 and exteriorly with corresponding bores' in the uprights 14 of the spring confining member. The bores are of a diameter providing a sliding fit for the follower sleeves 22 and 23 respectively whereby the buffer is guided in its rearward movement assisting the guiding function of the horizontal portions 15.L i

Coil springs 26 servetofcushion the shock of impact as iiange 24of follower 22 is moved rearwardly by theybuifer casting 17 and liange 24 of follower23v shoulders against rear upright 14. A

After the coupling is made in the usual simple manner, as by a hook or link, draft action causes forward sliding movement of the buffer member 17 relative to the spring confining member 13 and springs 26 cushion this movement by reason of the forward movement of stems 20 picking up the rear follower 23 by means of nuts 21 and plate 25 and compressing the springs in the opposite direction.

It is to be noted 'that the mechanism is substantially all exteriorly of and forwardly of the car end member and also that a single i main movable part serves to cushion both the bui'ing movement and the draft movement.

Referring to the modified form shown in Figs. 4 6, inclusive, of the drawings, the principles of construction and operation are substantially likev the preferred form, the main difference being that the arrangement of the parts is made to accommodate a transversely extending leaf spring instead of a plurality of coil springs as employed in the preferred form. To accommodate this change some specific structural variations are required.

As in the preferred form, the device is secured in like manner to an end sill 50. The sprin confining member is indicated at 51 as embo ying a transverse plate 52 having spaced forwardly extending arms 53 which are slotted at 54 to provide spring confining jaws 55. A lbufl'er member 56 having an integral coupling part or draw-head 57 has upper and lower rearward extensions 58 and 59 respectively, which penetrate the transverse plate 52 and the end sill 50. The main body of the buffer is hollow and it is fitted telescopically with the extensions 53 of the spring confining member 51.

A leaf spring is indicated at 60 having its ends 61 located in the jaws 55 of the extending arms 53. The middle portion of the spring is confined between a rear face 63 of the buffer member and a follower 64 slidable on the extensions or stems 58 and 59. Sleeves 65 and a plate 66 space the spring from stop nuts 67 threaded and pinned on ends of thc stems to the rear of the end sill.

According to this construction the buifcr body 56 may have a bore or hole 7 O in alinement with a bore or hole 71 in the coupling part 57 to receive a coupling pin (not shown).

In operation, movement of the buffer 56 rearwardly relative to the sill 50 is cushioned by the spring 60 which is held at either end and moves inwardly at its central region until follower plate 64 contacts with transverse plate 52`which prevents further relative movement.y In draft, the memberv 56 is moved outwardly relativeffto the end sill 50 flexing the spring 60 in the opposite direction until follower Iplate 66'1 contacts with the end sill 50 preventing further relative movement.

Either of the herein described forms may be interchanged with equal facility with ex- -isting rigid or semi-yielding bumpers, the

actual modification being in either case only the drilling ofa pair of holes in the end sill to receive the stems and sleeves of the buffer extensions. This, plus the removal of the old structure and a short riveting operation in securing the spring confining member to the end sill is substantially the labor involved in converting existing mine cars to include a spring draft and buffer.

What is claimed is:

1. A buffer and coupling device for mine cars comprising a hollow member adapted to be secured to an end sill, a spring mounted in said hollow member and confined between spaced parts thereof, a buffer telescopically mounted on said member and having a horizontal coupler part with a vertical opening therein and spaced stems extending rearwardlyl through said hollow member and holding said coupler member, in horizontal position, spring means located by said stems,

and limiting stops on said stems having provision for cushioning telescopic movement in butiing or in draft and positively limiting the extent of such movement.

2. A buffer and coupling device for mine cars comprising in combination with an end sill, a member secured thereto having spaced upright portions and spaced horizontal portions, a buffer fitted around said member so as to be guided in relatively slidable movement therewith, said buffer having a coupling part and stems projecting rearwardly through the uprights of said member and through said sill, said buffer being guided and held against rotation by said stems and also by contact with said member, a. coil spring on each stem between said upright portions, sleeved followers in said upright portions, and means on the rear of said stems for limiting the relative movement of the parts. i

3. A buler and coupling device for mine cars comprising in combination with a car end member, means secured thereto for restraining opposite ends of a leaf spring, a cast buffer slidably mounted over and supported on the spring restraining means and having an' integral drawhead and a rearward extension penetrating the plane of the end member, a leaf spring arranged with ends in the restraining member and middle portion adjacent said rearward extension, and followers and stops on said extension whereby said spring is stressed under either bufiing 'or draft movement and the amount 0f stress is limited.

4. The combination with an end sill of a spring confining supporting element projecting therefrom, al buffer member arranged externally of and telescopically supported on said element and said end silll and provided with a stem penetrating said element, and a spring confined between spaced parts of the supporting-element and arranged in cooperative relation with the buffer member to cushion bufiing movements to which said member is subjected.

5. The combination with an end sill of a spring confining member secured thereto and projecting forwardly therefrom, a buffer member mounted externally of and telescopioally supported. on -said s ring confining member a spring mounted tween spaced parts of sai spring confining member andspring confining member mounted thereon,

said spring confining member having spaced parts, a spring confined between said spaced parts, a buffer member held in position by said spring,an extension connected to said buffer vmember, said extension passing through said spring confining member and y said end sill, and means carried by said extension for contacting the rear face of the end sill to limit the forward movement of the buffer.

7. A combined buffer and draft unit adapted to be mounted on the forward face of an end sill, comprising a spring confining member adapted to be secured to the end sill and-having a portion extending forwardly from said end sill, a buffer member rovided with an integral draft part, said bu er member being slidably mounted on the forward extension of said spring confining member and being fitted around said extension so as to be guided thereby during sliding movement, said buffer member further having stems penetrating said spring confining member and the end sill at spaced points on the draft part, means oni` the rear of said stems adapted to contact with the rear face of the end sill to limit sliding movement of the buffer member in one direction, and a spring `located in said spring confining member ada ted to cushion the movement of .said bu er member.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

RALPH E. DENDLER- j no 

